Sam was my best friend, after all. But I shouldn’t have ignored any of my feelings. The first worrying sign was when Sam didn’t meet me for lunch during our break.
She just didn’t show up. That evening, after the dinner service, I was cleaning up my station when our boss, Chef Reynard, stormed into the kitchen. His face was like stone, his sharp blue eyes locking onto mine.
“I didn’t expect this from you, Kera!” he thundered. “I thought you were better…”
Silence fell. The entire staff froze, utensils clattering, conversations dying mid-sentence.
“Chef?” I swallowed hard. He turned to the room. “Everyone, to the break room.
Now!”
The weight of his words sank into my stomach like lead. Something was very, very wrong. What was Chef on about?
We filed in, confused, exchanging nervous glances. Chef Reynard stood at the front, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. “This evening, during an inventory check, something was found,” he said.
“Stolen black caviar. In Kera’s bag.”
I stopped breathing. I broke out into a sweat.
I felt dizzy. My bag? My stomach twisted into a hundred knots.
“That’s impossible!” I gasped. Chef Reynard didn’t react. “I announced earlier today that I’d be doing an inspection.
Someone’s been stealing from my kitchen.”
His eyes were sharp, scanning the room. “And tonight… I found this.”
He held up a small glass jar of caviar, the kind we only used for high-end VIP guests who ordered top-shelf alcohol like it was absolutely nothing. I stared at Chef’s hand, looking at the glass jar like it was a snake, waiting to strike.
“I didn’t take that,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I swear on my life, Chef. I would never… I would never jeopardize my position here!”
“Then, Kera, how did it end up in your bag?” His voice was calm but firm.
I opened my mouth, then shut it. I didn’t have an answer. I felt dizzy.
Sam sat beside me, her hands clasped in her lap. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. She didn’t offer an encouraging smile.
Or a hand squeeze. A sick feeling curdled in my gut. Chef Reynard exhaled.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t fire you right now.”
I froze. “Come, Kera. Tell me.”
Tears burned behind my eyes.
I looked around the room, at my coworkers, at the people I had worked beside for years. Some of them looked skeptical. Some looked outright disappointed.
But Sam? She just sat there. Silent.
That’s when I knew. She knew about the inspection. She was the one who did it.
Her eyebrows were furrowed like they always were when she was up to something.
